In Sickness and in Health
by EdenAdvance
Summary: While suffering from an illness, Aeryn does some thinking. Is it fatal or not?


In Sickness and in Health 

In Sickness and in Health by [Edenadvance][1]

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Thankfully I don't. (Now, don't disturb me further guys!)

Notes: Blame Aeryn on this. She made me sick in the first place. So I woke up at 4 am, having the urge to puke (sorry) and all she did was make BBQ Keedva. She's not cooking anymore! 

Notes2: Any similarities to other stories are not my fault, I haven't found anything that resembles this. 

Summary: While suffering from an illness, Aeryn does some thinking. Is it fatal or not? 

Spoilers: The Flax, A Bug's Life. 

Archiving: If you have my stuff, then feel free to take it. If you don't, ask nicely. My dog is on the leash, so he won't bite you. 

FeetBack (™): Well, the BBQ Keedva was lovely, thank you very much. Anyway, I'm baking cookies, and everyone who sends me feedback is getting a cookie. Yes, I had a crash-course blackmailing 101. [Edenadvance@yahoo.com][1] is where the cookies are coming from! Biscuits available on request.

In Sickness and in Health

Copyright 2000

Aeryn Sun was slowly dying, she was sure of it. She felt worse than when Larraq had stabbed her, when the toxins had been raging through her body. She tiredly looked at Zhaan, who was hovering over her, examining her body. 

She felt cold, colder than she had felt when she and Crichton had been caught in the Flax. What had he called it? 

'Colder than a frog's ass.' Whatever that meant.

Aeryn Sun was afraid. She was afraid to die. As much as she tried to shake the fear, to banish the thoughts about dying from her mind, it didn't work. She silently cursed Crichton for making her this weak. 

'Peacekeepers aren't afraid to die.' She said to herself. 

It didn't matter. The voice within her, the same one that had spread the fear in her mind, was now telling her that she wasn't a Peacekeeper. She was more than a Peacekeeper. Crichton had told her that more than once. 

Crichton. Where was the human? Her eyes scanned the small room, in which Aeryn had lived for almost two full cycles now, for any sign of him. 

He wasn't there. 

She wanted to ask Zhaan about the whereabouts of Crichton, but she had no voice to ask it with. Another symptom of the virus that had invaded her body. The Delvian understood her unspoken question. 

"He wanted to be alone." She said, looking at the young Sebacean. "He said that it was better for you if he wasn't here." With that, Zhaan left Aeryn alone to ponder the answer she had been given. 

She thought about Zhaan's answer for no longer than 5 microts, before she discovered that she wasn't thinking about anything at all. She couldn't think, for her head hurt too much. It wasn't the only thing hurting at this moment. Her throat was sore and so were her muscles. She felt sick to her stomach, and any foodcube that she managed to swallow came out the same way a microt later. She would feel cold, only to be burning up a moment later. The virus was causing all this, and her body couldn't fight it. She had overheard Zhaan talking to D'Argo and Crichton. She knew that a simple skin graft couldn't help her. They would need to find a specific anti-body for a disease Zhaan didn't even recognize. A disease no one on this side of the universe had heard of. 

Aeryn looked in the direction of the door when she heard footsteps approaching. It weren't Crichton's though. They were hurried, which was so unlike Crichton. Chiana's face appeared in the doorway. Slowly, the rest of her came into view as she entered Aeryn's quarters, carrying a tray of food. She set it down next to the bed, looked at Aeryn's pale face once and hurried from the room. She didn't want to be near Aeryn, afraid that she might get sick as well. Aeryn coughed once. It hurt to cough, but it would let her breathe a few more minutes. She thought further about her present situation, ignoring the pain in her head. 

Not once since she had gotten ill, had she seen Rygel in her quarters, trying to 'procure' her meager belongings. Chiana had only come by to bring her food or drinks. Only D'Argo and Zhaan had sat with her as she coughed and coughed, trying in vain to get the slime out of her airways. Still, she didn't understand why Crichton hadn't been here for her. Was he afraid to get sick as well? 

'No,' her inner voice said, 'He is never afraid to risk his health or life simply to be with you.' 

'Then, why isn't he here?' She asked herself, but she couldn't give an answer. 

Instead, she was caught in another coughing fit...

* * * * * *

Aeryn Sun was dreaming. Although she couldn't recognize anything in the dream, she felt safe here. There was no pain, and it was warm here. It was a nice temperature, not too cold, not too hot. She wished she could stay in this place forever, but she knew that she had to leave soon. 

She could hear his voice, calling her, asking her to come to him. Crichton. As she struggled to get awake, he heard his voice reaching out to her again, his hand brushing hers. 

"Aeryn, wake up, Sunshine." John whispered softly, holding her hand. 

"Crichton?" she mumbled in return, her voice not more than a whisper. 

Zhaan looked on as Aeryn woke up from her slumber, and she was glad that she had finally managed to find the antibody they had been looking for. She quietly left the two, and walked to the center chamber to tell the others the good news. 

John looked at doorway for a moment, before looking back at Aeryn's pale face. 

"Aeryn, it's going to be alright now." He said. 

"Where were you?" she tried to ask, but no sound came out of her mouth. 

He moved closer, holding his ear to her mouth. She asked where he had been again. 

John sighed. How was he going to explain that it was his fault that she had gotten ill?

She looked at him, waiting for his answer.

"It was better for you if I wasn't here. Aeryn, the virus that made you sick... it's common on Earth. I had it inside me. Zhaan says that it must've been dormant, and when I started coughing last weeken, I must've infected you." 

From the look she gave him, he knew that she didn't understand everything he was saying. 

"Zhaan and the others... they aren't sick." She whispered. 

He nodded. 

"They seem to be... immune to the virus. I didn't get as sick as you, because of my immune-system. As soon as I recognized what was causing your illness, Zhaan found a way to get the anti-bodies you needed." He explained. 

Aeryn nodded and closed her eyes. She felt John moving away and she immediately looked at him, pulling him closer to her.

"Stay?" she asked. 

Somehow, his presence made her feel safe, like she had felt in her dream. It reminded her of a time when she had spent a night in his arms on the false 'Earth'. She hadn't been really afraid then, but there was some fear present. But he could make it go away. She could draw strength from his presence. 

She pulled him even closer, making room for him in the small bed, and he smiled at her. He disentangled his hand from hers, and sat down, taking of his boots. When he was done, he lay down beside her and pulled her close to him. Soon, Aeryn was asleep in his arms...

The end.

   [1]: mailto:Edenadvance@yahoo.com



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